BORDERS Synonyms: 79 Similar and Opposite Words

borders 1 of 2

noun

plural of border

as in edges

the line or relatively narrow space that marks the outer limit of something a rug with a fancily embroidered border

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in frontiers

a region along the dividing line between two countries people who live on an international border get used to carrying a passport

Synonyms & Similar Words

borders

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of border

as in bounds

to serve as a border for that velvet bordered the sleeves on this shirt, until it fell off

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of borders

Noun

For most of our history as a country, and certainly in the post-World War II nuclear era, our borders felt impenetrable. — Michael Silver, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Speaking at a joint news conference, Fujimori said Peru's participation in the coalition would speed intelligence-sharing and bolster joint action against criminal groups operating across borders. — Marco Aquino, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026 At its height, the group controlled vast territory and millions of people in Iraq and Syria while encouraging or directing attacks far beyond its borders. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Terrorist acts are typically carried out by secret actors operating within a country’s borders, and 9/11 was the ultimate case in point. — Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026 Many of the recipes have a distinctly Kentucky bent, like the Hot Brown Deviled Eggs, others like her Funeral Potatoes, are the kind of Southern cooking that transcends state borders. — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 11 Sep. 2026 Director Bi Gan, recognized for his dreamlike visual approach since his debut, and actor Shim Eun-kyung, reflecting on a career that has crossed genres and borders, complete the session. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Sep. 2026 For both Walz and Ferguson, whose states share borders with Canada, the impacts of economic tariffs have been devastating. — Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, 10 Sep. 2026 The two exclaves have the European Union’s only land borders with Africa. — Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Verb

Hezbollah is the terrorist group that controls much of Lebanon, which borders Israel. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 31 Aug. 2026 The lake borders New York state and the Canadian province of Ontario. — Eve Chen, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026 The proposal, set for a vote Tuesday, would reduce the number of polling locations across booming Tarrant County, which borders Dallas and includes Fort Worth. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 The Mexican navy searched a vast area of the Pacific Ocean by sea and air, eventually finding the two men floating in a large fishing cooler about 150 miles off the coast of Chiapas, a southern state in Mexico that borders Guatemala. — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 The wide range of the search allowed rescuers to locate the men floating in the Pacific Ocean about 150 miles off the coast of Chiapas, a southern Mexican state that borders Guatemala. — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 Power at the school went out immediately when the storm hit, Norrell said, and electrical wires tangled in trees were visible along Kedzie Avenue, which borders the school property to the west. — Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026 The park borders Canada and the spine of the Rocky Mountains. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2026 The 4,300-square-foot home is located in the exclusive Hidden Hills neighborhood and borders Kim Kardashian’s compound. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 12 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for borders

Noun

This is his warmest and most charming turn yet — his edges buffed out in a good way.

— Katie Walsh, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
The 49ers ran for 174 yards in the 27-7 win, using pre-snap movement to get better angles and win the edges.

— Vic Tafur, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of edges

Noun

One professor reflects on how the invention of sailing ships led to new discoveries and commercial frontiers on the one hand and disease, colonization, and slavery on the other.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
Cruise the Kimberley The Kimberley, in Australia’s far northwest, is often described as one of the world’s last wilderness frontiers.

— Stuart Rigg, Travel + Leisure, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of frontiers

Verb

With the sprightly energy of a schoolboy, Jean-Paul Doron bounds into an empty creek, his red suede shoes scraping pale rocks.

— Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2026
Over a century later, the Himalayan blackberry has spread far beyond the modest backyard bounds its importers envisioned, opting instead to take over indiscriminately and displace the native trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus) in the process.

— The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 25 June 2026

Definition of bounds

Noun

The report concluded that 2,191 homeless people would be displaced if the security perimeters measured a half-mile around venues.

— James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
The map above shows the evacuation areas in red and the approximate fire perimeters as a black line.

— Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of perimeters

Noun

Missouri voters will also decide in November whether to use the new GOP-friendly congressional boundaries in 2028 and beyond.

— Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026
Its collection deliberately defies conventional boundaries between fine and popular art, placing painting and sculpture alongside illustration, comics, photography, and cinema.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of boundaries

Verb

That creates a natural intimacy between players, coaches, staff and the city that surrounds it.

— Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
A certain amount of secrecy surrounds the White House worksite, in part because of a large military structure that is being built underground, beneath where the ballroom will stand.

— Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of surrounds

Noun

But a recent study found that people with larger waist circumferences who ate one avocado daily for six months did not see improvements in blood sugar, insulin levels, or insulin resistance.

— Abby Norman, Verywell Health, 30 June 2026
Its main beams are 27 inches long, with over 5-inch base circumferences.

— Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025